BitBox02 vs Proton Wallet Comparison

A new wallet gets 24 BIP39 recovery words; the device can also restore 12-word phrases. The default backup is a file with the wallet secret on the included microSD card, which is not encrypted; the 24 words can be shown on the device screen at any time after you re-enter the device password.

Each wallet has its own BIP39 phrase of 12 words. The phrase is not shown when the wallet is created; it is encrypted on your device and stored on Proton's servers, and you can display it later in the wallet's settings after entering your account password.

The BitBox shop ships only to a name and postal address and asks for an email address. You can pay with Bitcoin or Lightning through BitBox's own BTCPay Server instead of a card. BitBox says order data is anonymised after 30 days, but invoices are kept for ten years under Swiss law.

BitBox says each device receives an attestation key at the factory, which the BitBoxApp checks every time you connect, and that the chips are covered in epoxy and the case halves are glued so that opening them breaks plastic pins. The device ships in a vacuum-sealed bag with a patterned seal. BitBox itself says these checks cannot rule out every physical modification of a genuine device.

Shift Crypto AG is registered in the Canton of Zurich, with its address in Adliswil. Its privacy policy follows the Swiss data protection act and the GDPR, and says personal data is stored in the EU.

The terms name Proton Financial AG, a Swiss company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Proton AG, as the operator; the privacy policy gives its address in Baar, canton Zug. Proton says it discloses the limited user data it holds only on a binding request from competent Swiss authorities. Disputes with consumers outside the US go to the courts of the canton of Zug; US consumers face arbitration.

A privately held Swiss company that sells under the BitBox brand. Its founders started the BitBox line in 2015; the BitBox02 came out in 2019.

Proton Financial AG belongs to Proton AG, whose primary shareholder is the non-profit Proton Foundation; Proton says no change of control can happen without the Foundation's consent.